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One Weekend In Cleveland (or Céadóg Writes A Massive Load Of Shite But You're Gonna Read It Anyway Because It's Him)


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So I promised Hannah I'd try to at least attempt a write up of the absolute chaos that was these past few days. Hopefully this will make up for my absence from GDC, since I experienced a shit ton of Green Day stuff with a shit ton of GDCers. I'll try to stick specifically to Green Day related stuff when I can, otherwise this post might never end.

So we were all queued up, we got the numbers to ensure there'd be no cutting (an excellent system that I hope catches on, basically the first 100 odd people were guaranteed their spots), then the waiting happened. The interminable waiting. And then it all turned out to be for fuck all because apparently the HOB let a bunch of arseholes who didn't even like GD in early and they all hogged the barrier for most of the show. The bastards. In any case, pretty much all of our group were second/third row in front of Billie/Mike, the best spots we could possibly have gotten really in the circumstances. Hannah was right in front of me, centre stage, really good spots.

Jesse Malin wasn't as shit as I thought he'd be. Now, in fairness, I thought he'd be fucking useless. And his original stuff was dire. Malin also seriously wants to be Billie Joe, in a very obvious and sad way. Couldn't shut up about the usual ranty shite that Billie generally reserves for halfway through Letterbomb. But they ripped through a couple of great covers in the form of The Pogues' If I Should Fall From Grace With God (coincidentally one of my all time favourite songs) and the Ramones classic Rock N Roll Radio. The crowd started to get a bit rough during the Ramones cover, but I figured that was mostly because people were sick of waiting for a song they actually knew. I should add that the two covers were greatly complimented by Malin's brass section, who ended up staying at the same hotel with that night. I of course thanked them profusely for making his set tolerable.

Once we were finished enduring Malin, it was time for Sweet Children. We figured that it'd take them a while to setup, the normal time being half an hour or so between sets, but John was out on stage and talking incomprehensible bollocks in less than 10 minutes. I should mention at this time that the crush in the pit was getting pretty bad, with a lot of people barely even able to move their arms, nevermind dance or jump. There was no real effort by security to alleviate the crush, and they still weren't handing out water at this time.

Okay yes, back to Green Day. No wait. The other one. With the pensioner. Who eats oranges on stage and accuses Mike of rubbing tuna on his arms before shows. I was expecting Kiffmeyer to maybe say a few words, play a short 4 or 5 song set, and then make way for the main show. Didn't really expect John to completely own the stage and be tighter than Billie. Well no, I expected the second part. Sweet Children ripped through their set like it had been 25 hours since their last show, not 25 years. It was a set full of fun and light heartedness, Billie and Mike looked far more relaxed onstage than I had ever seen them, and John never missed a beat. One can only hope that the reception that classics like Road To Acceptance, Only Of You, and Disappearing Boy received will encourage Green Day to play them live in future. The absence of any form of HEY OH was a massive relief to me as well, of course. The only problem I have with John is that when Billie was clearly readying himself to play Going To Pasalacqua, John jumped up from behind the kit and exclaimed that they were gonna play Green Day. My best chance to see one of my favourite songs ruined by Green Day's reject drummer :lol:

Of course I'll have to speak a little bit about the Sweet Children incident. As I mentioned before, the crush in the crowd was fucking awful. A lot of people, especially the smaller girls, were struggling since apparently 99% of the 250 pound guys had never been to a small show before and thought it was perfectly okay to ram into them and basically be obnoxious cunts. As a result, a few songs into the Sweet Children set, a lot of people had been forced out of the pit due to the fact that a 400 person floor was jammed full of about 700 knobends. It all came to a head during the first chorus of Sweet Children, when two rows back from me a fistfight broke out between a girl and some fucking huge guy over a small canvas painting of Green Day. Yes. You heard that right. A fistfight in the pit of a once in a lifetime show over a fucking painting. That was how ridiculous this pit was. Anyway, people started pushing the guy towards the front so security could deal with him as quickly as possible. They then proceeded to try to pull him out of the pit. Unfortunately, they tried to use Hannah's neck to help them. Then, once they noticed she was in severe danger of breaking her neck, they proceeded to drop him on her. And that's when John and Billie stopped the show. Hannah was in a bad way, and I wasn't sure if she was going to be able to continue in such a rough pit. She didn't even realise Billie was talking to her until the third time he repeated himself, and I'm fairly certain the only reason she realised at all was because I was begging her to look up because Billie was talking to her. And then Billie said something that I'll always be grateful to him for, because I'm fairly sure that without those three words there's no way Hannah would have been able to continue and enjoy the show, and her night would have been totally ruined. He's a wee fuck, but he loves Hannah, and I have to be okay with it :P



After the breathless nature of the Sweet Children set, so many of the crowd were already shattered. Minimal water had been given out, and the girl next to us had been crushed so bad that she had to spend most of the set on one foot. She got barrier not long after though, fortunately. I asked Hannah at this point if she wanted to leave the pit and rest, and she simply said "The only way I'm leaving this pit is if I die". So that was that. Again, the setup time was very minimal, and Green Day were onstage within 15 minutes. Fortunately security had begun handing out bottled water so we actually felt a lot better about the pit this time round.

From the moment Green Day ran out onstage, it was clear to see the attitude difference between the Sweet Children set and Green Day's. There was no messing around, it was straight down to business as usual. Opening with 99 Revolutions felt like an odd choice to me, especially considering it was the only song released in the past decade that they played that night. I would have thought that they'd stick to Welcome To Paradise as their standard small show opener, but it worked, so I can't really complain. The setlist itself was quite strange in that respect. It definitely seemed like a collection of songs that they enjoyed playing, more than their usual set of songs that please the crowd. But the crowd ate the songs up. The triple Kerplunk run of 2,000 LYA, Private Ale, and Christie Road was incredible to witness, and when Mike's intro on Stuart & The Ave. kicked in I was almost certain that I was going to throw up from screaming so loud. It only got better as they went straight into She, my favourite Green Day song. Geek Stink Breath was never a huge favourite of mine, but it was great live, and seeing One For The Razorbacks live for the first time was just amazing. Then I had the singular honour of being the human ladder for the nutcase who got onstage during Longview. The guy literally climbed up my back to get Billie's attention. I also have to add that it was definitely one of the more awkward audience singing routines I've ever witnessed. The guy was obviously trying to do a persona thing and even Billie commented on how he was making things a bit weird :P

And of course, we need to talk about Tim Armstrong. I'd seen him backstage during Jesse Malin's set, but I just figured he was there as a guest, since I'd seen Steve Van Zandt back there too. The roar in the crowd when he came bouncing onstage to blast through Knowledge was amazing. The real treat though was the rendition of Rancid song Radio, which Billie and Tim had written 21 years and one day ago. Most of the crowd didn't know the song, but that was understandable considering it's a fairly obscure Rancid song. The guys had so much fun with it though, with Jason especially bouncing around the stage far more than he usually does.

This is probably a good moment to talk about Jason's health too. I've seen a few posts from people saying that he looked ill and tired and very underweight at the show. Complete nonsense. Jason looked fit and full of energy. He was getting a lot more into the songs than usual, and he actually looked a lot better for loosing a bit of weight. Tré could probably do with following his example, evidently married life is suiting him too well :P

By now the crowd was absolutely shattered, so of course Green Day went straight into the endless King For A Day routine. If anything, we were thankful when the band ended up on the floor of the stage, it gave us much needed time to breathe. After that, Billie gave probably his best rendition of Waiting, vocally at least (there was a lyrical error or two :P ). The time off has obviously done his voice a lot of good, and his breath control is definitely back to it's best, as he nailed the ascending note of "I Don't Care" on Jesus Of Suburbia with ease for the first time in years. Ending on JoS seemed a very odd choice, and it took the crowd several minutes to disperse, since everyone was certain Billie would return to play Good Riddance, as he always had done for years. But it was not to be. The show of a lifetime was over, and it had been an emotional rollercoaster for everyone involved. Perhaps Billie didn't want a performance of Good Riddance to fuel rumours of a breakup after his earlier comments about not seeing the fans for a long time.

One guy I have to mention though was this security guard (the one with the insane mohawk). I honestly think he was a bigger Green Day fan than many people attending the show, and his delight at rare songs like Private Ale and Stuart & The Ave. being played was great to see. He completely fanboyed over Tim Armstrong taking to the stage, and sang along to basically every song. It's so rare to see a security guard enjoy a show, and what a show for him to enjoy.

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Friday was a day filled with GDC related shenanigans, which shall be discussed later and elsewhere I assume. Saturday morning we visited the RnR HoF museum, and saw the Green Day exhibit. The handwritten lyrics were very cool, and it was interesting to see how few differences their were between the original drafts of the song and the finished version. Seeing the guitar that Billie used to record American Idiot was also amazing. I'm guessing that pics of this stuff have been shared everywhere on the forum already but here's most of the exhibit.

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So now I'm gonna skip ahead to Saturday night, the night of the Induction ceremony. Hannah left early because she had a headache, and after Green Day had brought the house down, she was bored out of her mind. In fact, apparently a good 30% of the people at the ceremony left after Green Day finished playing, which I found slightly odd. Anyway, I went to meet her so we could walk back to the hotel together, but while she was waiting around for me she discovered the back door of the venue where all the celebs' limos and hummers were. We decided to hang out there, since Hannah had seen Billie Joe's bodyguard checking out the area. We saw a few people before Green Day came out. Long story short, Taylor Hawkins is a bellend, Dave Grohl is Dave Grohl, John Legend is someone, Alice Cooper has the whitest teeth known to man, and Bill Withers loves a good smoke. There wasn't many people out back, surprisingly, so when Green Day came out they weren't totally terrified by the usual wave of screaming. Mike and Tré went into the next door hotel pretty quickly, but Billie and his family hung around outside and talked to a few fellow celebs outside the venue for a few minutes. Then as he was walking across to the hotel he waved and said hi, which I suppose was a bit cool.

After Green Day had gone, we decided to leave before the place went nuts when Ringo and Paul came out. As we came around to the front of the hotel next door, Hannah stopped to light a cigarette, only to realise we were standing right next to Bob Gruen and Bill Schneider. We quickly decided that it'd be no harm at all to stick around and see if anyone else happened to show up. A minute later, who should walk past but the legend of music that is Jeff Matika. We shouted his name, and he turned and waved, and as he did I told him the immortal truth of his sexual preferences; that he does indeed fondle pigeons. This raised a smile from him, but then he went into the hotel and our moment was over. Then, still overwhelmed by our brush with the great Matika, who should we see taking pictures with fans in front of the hotel but Tim motherfucking Armstrong. He was just about to leave (he actually seemed to be in a rush to get somewhere) but he was happy to wait and take a quick picture with us. We talked a little about the show, and he complimented my Misfits shirt. And then he was gone. And then who do we see standing outside the revolving door talking to a fan about Billie Joe and Mike's playing styles but Rob Cavallo. Chris Lord-Alge was with him, but he seemed content to let Rob do the talking. Oddly enough Rob also commented on my Mistfits shirt haha. It was an amazing moment to meet two of the men that created so much of Green Day's sound and musical style.

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There were no more Green Day related incidents to speak of, save for being able to spy on their private party due to the bar having a glass wall. We didn't feel comfortable with that and quickly left, but that didn't stop dozens of people from snapping pics of the celebs like they were animals in a zoo.

Okay this took me forever to type and Hannah is passed out beside me so I should probably wrap it up. All in all, it was an incredible trip. I got to see one of my favourite bands play a historic show with some of my favourite people, and I got to meet some absolute legends of music. It's gonna be a tough one to top.

SPOILERED FOR JORTS

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I'll have to finish reading it later, but anyone who writes that in-depth of a review on his or her experiences deserves praise and recognition. :thumbsup:

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I asked Hannah at this point if she wanted to leave the pit and rest, and she simply said "The only way I'm leaving this pit is if I die". So that was that.

Opening with 99 Revolutions felt like an odd choice to me, especially considering it was the only song released in the past decade that they played that night. I would have thought that they'd stick to Welcome To Paradise as their standard small show opener, but it worked, so I can't really complain. The setlist itself was quite strange in that respect. It definitely seemed like a collection of songs that they enjoyed playing, more than their usual set of songs that please the crowd.

One guy I have to mention though was this security guard (the one with the insane mohawk). I honestly think he was a bigger Green Day fan than many people attending the show, and his delight at rare songs like Private Ale and Stuart & The Ave. being played was great to see. He completely fanboyed over Tim Armstrong taking to the stage, and sang along to basically every song. It's so rare to see a security guard enjoy a show, and what a show for him to enjoy.

SPOILERED FOR JORTS

http://i.imgur.com/G3DTrfC.jpg

I said the same thing about only being pulled out of the pit if I'm dead! :lol: Brandon was looking all beaten up and winded and I literally went into psycho mode and basically told him he was on his own, and no matter what, I wasn't leaving. Luckily he stayed too, because he got spectacular videos!

I also felt the setlist was strange, but I couldn't figure it out. At first, I thought it didn't have enough rare songs, which is so laughable when you look at it on paper. I forgot they even played One for the Razorbacks and Private Ale, honestly, because the pit was so rough for those songs that I felt like I was fighting for my life. And I guess including songs like 99 Revolutions and King for a Day just threw me off too because they just didn't seem deserving of a show like this, which I thought brought the setlist down. But I think what you said makes perfect sense. The setlist was just about them having fun, not worrying about pleasing a crowd, necessarily. Which is A-OK with me.

And that security guard is AMAZING. He's been at all the shows Brandon and I have gone too. I specifically remember him rocking out at the New Found Glory show we went to. He's obviously a huge fan of Green Day and Green Day-inspired bands, and he's an absolute champ. He's in a lot of the videos I'll be uploading tomorrow; you'll enjoy it! :)

I will never forget those jorts. <3

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99 Revolutions is pretty meh on the album for me, but I love it on Demolicious, and live, I think it's a great song. Still a weird choice, though, as it was literally the only song from the last 10 years to be played.

And KFAD is awesome :mad:

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I never thought I might ever do this, Céadóg.... but this is just for you: :wub: Thanks for your awesome report! Feels like I was there, too.

And poor, poor Hannah, I hope she has recovered. So sweet of BJ... deserves another :wub: ...

Thank you for desribing the delicious food to the starving, greedy pack of the calamitous rest of us who couldn´t attend the banquet, and now feel even more miserable and hungry... ;)

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Ceadagh that was great. Thanks for taking the time. I know, coming from you, there is no bullshit. Other than the pit incident, I'm glad you guys had a great time

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TOO. MANY. WORDS.

But seriously, thanks, that was a great great, very entertaining review. Excuse me while I pound myself to death out of jealousy for not being able to experience this first-hand.

P.S. So THAT was the context of the whole fight thing....hmm.

P.S.S.

"But if I dont get a band

then I am going to have to

do something els. I could be

a foot ball player? Thats wut

Ill be we will travell all ofer

the plays we will win all

of are games. And we will

be the champs. But what if

I don't play foot ball. I dont

wait I be. I now Ill be somethig."

Pure gold, this.

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So cool! Glad you guys had a great time :D

Also I'm pretty sure I would leave the pit in those circumstances, y'all are very brave (or insane).

Thanks for writing that! Made me laugh quite a bit.

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Wow, that was an awesome read :D

It's amazing that you saw Tim Armstrong and Billie Joe :D He waved and said hi ... i think I would have died :D

I about lost my shit when I read what you yelled at Jeff Matika :lol:

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And KFAD is awesome :mad:

RIGHT! If they ever get that segment out, the GD shows will loose so much. It's always been my favourite part of their shows.

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RIGHT! If they ever get that segment out, the GD shows will loose so much. It's always been my favourite part of their shows.

King for a Day is cheesy, boring and repetitive and a big factor in their live show declining towards becoming stale. The song and lame shout certainly is.

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King for a Day is cheesy, boring and repetitive and a big factor in their live show declining towards becoming stale. The song and lame shout certainly is.

NO.

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I like how it ended similar to a sex and the city episode where she summarizes the stuff that went down in that weeks show reminiscing on her comp haha.. Great read sounds like a radical affair!!.. Also with this new love triangle between you hannah and billy does this mean you have to take care of Billies kids on the weekends?

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Now that I've finished reading... :lol:

You really did have a blast! You're a bigger Green Day fan than you let on around here. Great recap.... I'm curious about Friday now :P

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I like how it ended similar to a sex and the city episode where she summarizes the stuff that went down in that weeks show reminiscing on her comp haha.. Great read sounds like a radical affair!!.. Also with this new love triangle between you hannah and billy does this mean you have to take care of Billies kids on the weekends?

Yeah but the upside is that I usually get a hand shandy from 80 after I drop them off, so swings and roundabouts really.

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We can see right through you, we know you don't hate them as much as you've said now :lol:

I loved reading both yours and Kay's post! I thought you'd have plenty more to say about your experiences, that would be enough to make a new, good Hangover movie.

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Thank you for sharing your experiences, everyone! Its like we are living it through you guys. You witnessed history!

And I am so glad so many GDCers got the chance to live that moment!

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Now that I've finished reading... :lol:

You really did have a blast! You're a bigger Green Day fan than you let on around here. Great recap.... I'm curious about Friday now :P

Very right there. In every way possible.

NO.

YES

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I love that you used a sort-of fr ted reference! :lol:

That was a good read :happy:

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